Talented apprentices celebrated

Victoria’s talented apprentice jockey cohort have been acknowledged at the 2026 Apprentice Jockey Celebration Evening which included six individual award winners at tonight’s ceremony at Flemington Racecourse.

Popular rider Jaylah Kennedy was awarded RV Elite Apprentice Jockey among the class graduating from Racing Victoria’s (RV) Apprentice Jockey Training Program (AJTP).

Fellow graduate Emily Pozman received the Victorian Jockeys Association’s Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in Training award, which recognises excellence in all aspects of an apprenticeship, including on-track performance, dedication to personal development and industry ambassador qualities.

Kennedy and Pozman were congratulated alongside Alysha Warren, Dakotah Keane, Danica Munro, Jess Booth, Rose Hammond, Ryan Houston and Thomas Prebble for completing four years and graduating from the Apprentice Jockey Training Program.

The graduates were celebrated for their commitment and dedication and received a rousing reception from their family and friends in attendance.

Prebble secured the peer-voted Mikaela Claridge Sportsmanship Award to confirm the esteem that he is held in among his graduating class.

The Mikaela Claridge Sportsmanship Award is the only peer-voted prize and signifies that, in the eyes of Prebble’s fellow apprentices, he demonstrated sportsmanship and offered encouragement, guidance and approachability through his words and deeds both on and off the track.

Other award winners included Stephanie Hateley who was awarded the Victorian Wakeful Club Scholarship. This scholarship recognises a female apprentice jockey’s excellence in her studies and professionalism both in and out of the saddle. She also received a $1,000 grant to complete further study or to assist with her career development.

Nadia Daniels was awarded the Andrew Gilbert Sports Science Award. The award, named in honour of Victorian apprentice jockey Andrew Gilbert who suffered a fatal fall in 2001, recognises the achievements of an apprentice in the fields of health and fitness.

Sam Kennedy took home the RV Coaches Award, a new initiative introduced to shine a spotlight on the program’s Year 2 and 3 apprentices. The winner is selected by the AJTP coaches with Sam recognised for her growth and development this year.

RV Chair, Tim Eddy, said “The nine graduates are to be warmly congratulated for completing our Apprentice Jockey Training Program. They have all worked extremely hard and we look forward to following their journeys as they pursue rewarding careers in our industry.

“We also celebrate the excellence of our award winners who have been duly recognised for demonstrating their qualities on and off the racetrack.”

The ceremony also saw 10 new members formally welcomed into Victoria’s Apprentice Jockey Squad (AJS). They are Briony Deeker-Fradd, Changgyun Ma Yu, Isabelle Laveglia, Laura Ross, Maddison Marin, Samantha Young, Sarah McDonough,Shakira Pearson, Tash McMahon and Tyra Dowsett.

The AJS serves as a pre-apprenticeship program and focuses on riders who have demonstrated the potential to progress to race riding within the next 12 months.

Once an AJS member has demonstrated the readiness and skill levels required to take the next step, including being approved to ride in official trials by the RV Rider Skills Panel, they can officially transition to the Apprentice Jockey Training Program and be licensed as an apprentice jockey.

The AJS members will begin their studies under the guidance of RV’s workforce development team including apprentice jockey coaches Darren Gauci and Alf Matthews.